EDUCATION PACK
Dave ARMSTRONG & oscar kightley's
Auckland Theatre Company
receives principal and core
funding from
Subsidised school matinees are made possible by a grant from
ATC Education also thanks
the ATC Patrons and the ATC
Supporting Acts for their
ongoing generosity.
The NIU SILA Education Pack is
made possible by a grant from
SPonsors
PLEASE NOTE:
•Schools’performancesarefollowed
byaQ&AForumlastingfor20–30
minutesinthetheatreimmediately
aftertheperformance.
•Eatinganddrinkingintheauditoriumis
strictlyprohibited.
•Pleasemakesureallcellphonesare
turnedoffpriortotheperformance
and,ifpossible,pleasedon’tbring
schoolbagstothetheatre.
•Photographyorrecordingofanykindis
STRICTLYPROHIBITED.
CREDITS 4
ABOUTTHEPLAY 6
SYNOPSIS 7
THEMES 8
WRITINGNIU SILA 10
PLAYINGMULTIPLECHARACTERS 14
DESIGNELEMENTS
Set&Costume 18
Lighting&Sound 20
PASIFIKAPLAYSINNEWZEALAND 22
PASIFIKAPLAYSBIBLIOGRAPHY 24
FOLLOWUPACTIVITIES 26
RESOURCESANDUSEFULLINKS 30
ABOUTATCEDUCATION&CURRICULUMLINKS 31
Contents
VENUE: Touring nationwide September and October 2013
AUCKLAND SEASON: Mangere Arts Centre, Nga Tohu o Unenuku,
cnr of Orly Ave & Bader Dr, Mangere.
SCHOOLS’ Wednesday 16, Thursday 17, Friday 18, Monday 21,
PERFORMANCES Tuesday 22, and Thursday 24 October at 11am.
(Auckland): Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 October at 6:30pm.
RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes without an interval.
SUITABILITY: This production is suitable for Year Levels 11-13
students.
ADVISORY: Contains occasional use of strong language.
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Niu SILA CREDITSCastFasitua Amosa and David Van Horn
CreativeBen Crowder — Director
Dave Armstrong — Playwright
Oscar Kightley — Playwright
John Parker — Set & Costume Designer
Jane Hakaraia — Lighting Designer
Thomas Press — Sound Designer
ProductionPaul Nicoll — Technical &
Production Manager
Fern Christie — Company Manager
Jade Turrall — Stage Manager
Thomas Press — Touring Technical Operator
2Construct — Set Construction
Education PackLynne Cardy — Writer and Editor
Louise Tu’u and Tanya Muagututi’a — Contributing Writers
Michael Smith — Production Images
Claire Flynn — Graphic Design
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH
4 5
The award-winning NIU SILA premiered at Downstage Theatre,
Wellington, in 2003 and has since played all over New Zealand and
internationally. Auckland Theatre Company first staged NIU SILA
in 2005 with Damon Andrews and Dave Fane, directed by Conrad
Newport. The 2013 production stars real-life best friends, actors
Fasitua Amosa and David van Horn, and is directed by Ben Crowder.
The central device of NIU SILA is that two actors play an array of
multi-cultural characters without costume changes and with very
simple props, set and costumes. The abridged play script is a favourite
for high school productions, where the two-hander can be easily
expanded to accommodate a large cast.
Events in Niu Sila occur over a period of time from the late 1960’s to
the early 2000’s and the characters move in and out of a wide variety
of locations. Ioane and Peter attend school at a time before NCEA
(when School Certificate was the first secondary school qualification)
and when the intermediate to high school year levels started at Form
One (Year 7) and finished in 7th Form (Year 13).
NIU SILA is a unique New Zealand play and an excellent example
of Pasifika Theatre, with its mix of English and Samoan language,
contemporary slang, spoofing of stereotypes and physical theatre.
The play touches on issues of racism, cross-cultural freindships,
the importance of family, and makes allusions to the Dawn Raids
of the 1980s.
In a suburban TAB, two childhood friends
meet up again as adult strangers. Thirty
years before hand, during the peak of
Polynesian immigration to Auckland, six-
year old Ioane Tafioka, recent immigrant
from the island of Atua, knocks on the
door of local boy, Peter Burton.
Ioane has decided that Peter is his friend
and he wins him over through sharing his
aspirations of owning a TV, the merits of
an umu over a hangi and by admonishing
him to never talk back to his parents.
Spanning three decades Peter narrates
the energetic and ultimately moving tale
of their shared experiences; at school, at
church, playing cricket, fishing for eels,
going to the orchestra, and eventually
dealing with the police and the justice
system. As the boys grow into young men
events and attitudes unfold to force their
friendship to end. Supported throughout
by unforgettable characters from a cross
section of New Zealand society; Frank
Burton, Peter’s father, an extreme left-
wing, Bartok-loving social crusader, the
deceptively ill-dressed minister who is
affectionately known as ‘Criminal’ and Mrs
Tafioka, whose formidable role as a no-
nonsense matriarch is matched only by
her unconditional love for both her ‘sons’.
The play ends as it begins, back in the TAB
where Peter and Ioane are briefly reunited
and there is an abrupt twist to the story
when Peter learns the poignant truth
about the fate of his old friend, who has
recently returned to Atua.
About the Play SYNOPSIS
6 7
The dominant theme of NIU SILA is an exploration of friendship
how even the best of friendships can be torn apart by society. “This
play…” said Oscar Kightley, “is for anyone who ever wondered what
happened to that cool kid they made friends with in primary school”.
NIU SILA also raises ideas of cultural identity and changing social
perspectives in New Zealand by confounding stereotypes and
presenting an authentic relationship between a Pakeha (palagi)
character and a Pacific Islander. Much of the humour in the play arises
from cultural misunderstandings and confusions as well as from the
array of easily identifiable attitudes that the characters convey and
from the language they use.
The play inevitably raises current issues such as family violence,
racism (particularly within the police and justice system) and corrupt
use of power by the church. The end of Peter and Ioane’s friendship
is crucial to the story, not only as it highlights a loss of personal
innocence but because it also mirrors that loss in our society.
“…this play…is a requiem for a time in New Zealand that no longer exists. Today, brown & white New Zealanders, with a few exceptions, work in different jobs, live in separate suburbs and send their kids to separate schools. That is not the New Zealand of my childhood...” — Dave Armstrong
THEMES
8 9
NIU SILA is written by two well-known New Zealand playwrights, Oscar Kightley and Dave Armstrong. Oscar and Dave share their creative processes when writing alone or in collaboration.
What got you into writing, specifically the art of playwriting?Dave: I’ve always loved plays. Initially I was a musician but ended up writing bits of shows I played the trumpet in.
Oscar: I enjoyed performing and visualising a well-written scene in my head. Being the writer of plays, you get to see it as an audience member and relive the moment of creation.
How did you two meet?Dave: I think we met when I was working on TV3’s Skitz1. I went to Oscar’s play FRESH OFF THE BOAT2 and was very impressed. We had a meeting at a bad Turkish café in Hataitai in Wellington. Once Oscar started working on Skitz we saw more of each other, we even played in a soccer team together a couple to times until Oscar collapsed from exhaustion.
Have you collaborated on work before? Dave: We worked together a lot on Skitz – little sketches rather than a whole play.
Oscar: It was here (at Skitz) that Dave had an idea for NIU SILA, based on an episode in his life, of living next to a family from a different culture and becoming friends.
I mean, when you think about it, everyone’s got a mate like that. You may not necessarily keep in contact, but the experience stays with you.
What inspired you both to write a play that spanned over three decades?Dave: Most of NIU SILA was written about seven years ago. Oscar and I were in our thirties (well I was anyway, Os was late twenties) when we wrote the story. Lots of it
WRITING NIU SILA
is autobiographical so I guess if we left it till we were seventy we would have written a play spanning seven decades.
Oscar: It was the obvious form, really. Stylistically, the changes are easier to facilitate in a play (and cheaper) than say, a TV series or a film. As far as the thrust of the story is concerned, it’s easier to be a mate with someone when you’re five than when you’re twenty-five.
Considering you both live in different cities, how did you find the process of collaboration? Oscar: Well, trans-city collaboration isn’t as hard as you think.
Dave: I did some preparatory stuff and wrote a lot of notes in novel form based on my early life living next to a PI family in Wellington. I flew up to Auckland with the aid of a Creative New Zealand grant, and Oscar and I spent the weekend ‘dramatizing’ what I had written then writing scenes of our own…
Oscar: We work-shopped and wrote pretty much day and night.
Dave: We almost had a finished draft. We edited each others work then basically had a working draft. I did a bit of editing after that then it was ready to have its first workshop.
Oscar: Having the internet and cheap airfares definitely helped the collaborative process.
What was it like to work on an intimate project, such as a play? Dave: It was real fun. Working with Os (and also the Nakeds3 I’ve later discovered) is different from working with other writers. ‘The work’ as in the play, sits on the computer and you have a turn at writing it, maybe talking to your co-writer, maybe not. Then you go and eat or go for a walk and happily let the other guy write a scene. Dare I say it it’s more of a relaxed ‘Polynesian’ style of writing than two uptight palagis arguing over every syllable.
Oscar: It was cool, I mean it, the best thing in the world. What really excites me about a play is the immediacy.
How did your actors contribute in the writing process? Oscar: They didn’t. We wrote the script. In rehearsals, the actors brought their ideas but ultimately…we wrote the dialogue and pieced the scenes together to form a story.
Dave: We had two two-day workshops before rehearsals started and I spent the first week sitting in rehearsals making changes. Both actors contributed to the script in different ways. Damon was really helpful in making the last scene believable, he kept saying, ‘my character’s too much of a wimp’ and we changed quite a lot of that last scene based on improvisations he and Dave did. Dave Fane is a brilliant comic so he added lots of funny stuff that we gladly accepted.
10 111010
(He also added stuff we didn’t, for various reasons including taste!) I find actors love it if the writers are flexible and will use their ideas. However, I also think you have to put your foot down occasionally and say ‘No Fane, Mrs Tafioka would NOT say ‘hot tamale’.
Would you credit their offerings? Oscar: No. All plays get work-shopped. The actors contribute but the initial inspiration to form a play out of their ideas, experiences and memories remain the writers own. I mean, if we as writers credit the actors, where does it end? Keeping it simple is paramount.
Dave: This is a tricky area. You turn up with a complete script, as we did with NIU SILA, then an actor improvises a line or changes it slightly, then suddenly you think, should I credit them as a writer? I don’t agree with that. As well as creating a minefield with credit, it involves financial problems. It would be different if an actor turned up with a whole scene they had written, but that didn’t happen.
During work-shopping many scenes were ‘tweaked’ and one or two scenes were extensively rewritten, and improvisations were carried out in the all-important last scene in the TAB which had heaps of rewrites and some scenes hardly changed at all from pen to performance.
Having said all that, NIU SILA would not have been the play it was were it not for the incredible contribution to the script process made by the director Conrad Newport, who is an excellent actor and writer himself, and the two actors.
What inspires you to write?Oscar: I guess the joy of telling a story and the joy of hearing one told. It’s such an unbelievable feeling. Stories are great.
Dave: Real life.
1 Skitz was a TV3 comedy show that screened from the early to mid 1990s.
2 FRESH OFF THE BOAT was also a collaborative effort, written by Oscar Kightley and Simon Small in 1993.
3 The Naked Samoans, a prominent comedy group who premiered with their now legendary show Naked
Samoans talk about their knives, as part of the 1998 Laugh! Festival. Original cast members were Dave Fane, Oscar Kightley, Shimpal Lelisi and Mario Gaoa, now celebrated as the co-creators of hit animated TV show Bro’town.
See page 28 follow-up activity for writing exercises inspired by NIU SILA.
12 13
Performing NIU SILA is a terrific
challenge for two actors. A physical
and mental workout, the play demands
lightening changes of character and
a vigorous focus between the actors.
Keeping the ball in the air throughout
the show is also highly rewarding
and an enormous amount of fun.
Fasitua Amosa and David Van Horn
play around thirty different characters
between them. Characters range in
ethnicity, age and gender and come
from all sectors of society. There are no
costume changes and the actors are
onstage throughout the play. Changing
characters happens before the
audience’s eyes and is an integral part
of the theatrical magic of the piece.
Amongst other characters, Fasitua plays
IOANE, his parents MR & MRS TAFIOKA
and all four of the schoolgirls who
discuss IOANE’S ponytail in a scene
set in the classroom of the strict and
fearsome MISS HAGEN (played by Van
Horn). David also plays the central role
of the narrator, PETER, Peter’s mother
MRS BURTON and THE JUDGE
amongst others.
One of the great challenges of NIU
SILA for the actors is delineating
between each character and making
the character shifts clean and clear for
themselves and for the audience.
JUMPING FROM ONE TO ANOTHER - TWO ACTORS PLAY A MULTITUDE OF CHARACTERS
Fasitua and David shared their top tips for playing multiple characters with ATC Associate Director, Lynne Cardy:
1 Find the truth in each character. Make them authentic and real.
2 Find one gesture for each character that is extremely different to the others – these are physical hooks to hang the character on to and are especially useful in fast changes.
3 Similarly, find a different voice for each character. This doesn’t necessarily mean putting on a parade of accents as you still need to find the truth in each character. Concentrate instead on where you place your voice.
4 Look for characters clues in the text. David is taking his lead for how to play MISS HAGEN from Ioane’s description of her as ‘like the witch from Hansel and Gretel’.
5 It can be useful to base physical or vocal characteristics on those of people you know. Fasitua is basing the voice and demeanour of nosy neighbour MISS HEATHCOTE on Youtube sensation ‘$20 Karen’. David is basing the kind and soft MRS BURTON on his own mum.
6 Find a different centre of gravity within your body for each character. David - who mostly goes from playing narrator PETER to YOUNG PETER to MRS BURTON - uses different centres for each character. For PETER the narrator he is relaxed and centred within himself. For the younger version of the character he drops his centre and is floppy and loose, while for MRS BURTON he is upright and held.
7 Practise jumping from character to character. Fasitua says ‘speed is your friend’ in this play. The more you practise, the easier it becomes to jump between characters.
8 Finally, but most importantly, find the fun in each character.
Check the activities on page 26 for techniques on playing multiple characters.
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SET & COSTUMEOne of the key considerations director
Ben Crowder and set and costume
designer John Parker had in mind when
approaching the design for NIU SILA,
was the touring nature of the production.
Travelling to eight different locations from
Kaitaia to Christchurch and performing
in at least eleven different venues, the set
needs to be easily transportable, relatively
flexible and sturdy.
Ben and John were also interested in
finding a new way to present NIU SILA
– which has traditionally been staged as
a ‘two men, one chair’ production. They
wanted to open up the possibilities of
the script and to give the play what Ben
describes as a ‘kinetic’ feel.
In order to try out some of these design
ideas Ben and John (along with sound
designer Thomas Press) took part in a
two-day workshop with the actors (eight
weeks prior to rehearsals starting) where
the team explored the physical and
visual language for the play. During this
workshop the foundation for the design
became clear.
PORTABLE ISLANDS
In a happy coincidence portable risers
had just been installed in the Auckland
Theatre Company rehearsal room and the
cast enjoyed playing scenes out on the
various levels these risers created. Ben
also enjoyed watching the actors use the
risers like a playground. This was the initial
inspiration for the raised ‘islands’ that
comprise the set.
John designed angled risers in the
shape of New Zealand’s three islands.
They are angled in order to present the
actors effectively to the audience (more
effectively than if the actors were simply
standing, lying or sitting on flat risers or
the stage floor). Because the angles are
created by lowering or raising the riser
legs, it is possible to widen or flatten the
islands to suit each venue. And, as Ben
noticed in the initial workshop, the angled
risers offer the cast a variety of interesting
and dynamic levels, surfaces and playing
spaces that serve for the various
locations in the play.
Each island is covered in AstroTurf –
recalling butcher’s shop window 'grass'
or a field, or even a school playground.
Design ElementsUnusually for a rehearsal process and
crucial to the success of this production,
the set was in rehearsals from day one.
This meant Ben and the cast could
experiment with the set as much as
possible.
PROPSIn rehearsal the team experimented with
using a variety of iconic props throughout
the play. This is an unusual step for a
production of NIU SILA where traditionally
all props have been mimed. John and
Ben were interested in bringing in iconic
Pacific elements via the props, for example
MRS TAFIOKA’s white hat, as well as
surprising (and hopefully delighting) the
audience.
COSTUMELike the set, costume for NIU SILA
needs to be simple, flexible and durable
to sustain through the extensive touring
period.
Whilst still experimenting during the
rehearsal period, John’s instinct is to
go with a ‘quasi school uniform’ base
costume that can represent the characters
as they go through the childhood years
and into adulthood. Because the actors
stay in the same costume throughout the
play and use body, voice and gesture to
convey their rapid character changes, the
base costume needs to have a subtlety
and simplicity that won’t over-clutter the
actors. To help achieve this John is using
a colour palette of greys and light browns,
like ‘an uncoloured colouring-in book’ .
This subtle colour palette can be aided by
lighting and will also stand out against the
vibrant green of the Astro Turf islands.
18 19
LIGHTING AND SOUND As there are no set or costume changes.
The sound track and lighting become the
chief means by which this passage of time
is marked in the play.
SOUNDSound designer Thomas Press uses music
to establish time of day (cicadas chirping
at night) as well as different time periods;
from the traditional Pacific Island hymns
sung at the beginning of the play (in the
1970s) through to the music played at
Peter’s house in the early 2000s.
The soundtrack also marks locations; the
races running at the TAB, the school bell in
Miss Hagen’s classroom and the musicians
warming up at the visit to the orchestra.
An essential and key element in this
production, the soundtrack also enhances
the mood and atmosphere and even
injects extra humour, for example in the
Bollywood inspired backing track during
the cricket game.
LIGHTINGLighting designer Jane Hakaria had to
be conscious of designing two different
lighting rigs for this busy touring
production; a full version suitable for
professional theatre venues and a simpler
paired-back design for halls and libraries.
As a result Jane’s simple, uncluttered
lighting design supports the storytelling
and helps to establish time and location,
as well enhancing mood. Lights placed
underneath the island risers evoke the
feeling of floating islands and transport
us from Samoa to Niu Sila and back again,
whilst lighting that picks out specific areas
of the stage helps us to follow the changes
in character and location.
20 21
PASIFIKA Theatre in NEW ZEALANDFromasearlyasthe1970s,pioneerPacificpractitionersintheatre(suchasNathanielLees,JayLaga’aia,EteuatiEte,LaniTupu,OleMaiava,JustineSimei-BartonandEroliaIfopo)laidthefoundationforPacificstoriestobetoldinamediumthatexposedPacificIslandculturetotheatreaudiencesalloverNewZealand.
TheveryfirstfulllengthPacificplaycalledLEMATAUwaswrittenbyStephenSinclairandSamsonSamasoniandstagedbyWellington’sTaki Ruain1981.Thirtytwoyearslaterin2013SouthAuckland’sKila Kokonut KrewremountedthefirstPacificIslandfull-lengthmusicalTHEFACTORYbyAnapelaPolataivaoandVelaManusaute,whichhassincebeendevelopedintoanonlinewebseries.
Inthe1990sanewgenerationofPasifikatheatremakersemergedontothescene,includingNIUSILAco-writerOscarKightleyandplaywrightsVictorRodger(SONS,MYNAMEISGARYCOOPER),JohnKneubuhl(THINKOFAGARDEN),MakeritaUrale(FRANGIPANIPERFUME),ShimpalLelisiandDavidFane(AFRIGATEBIRDSINGS,The Naked Samoans)andToaFraser(NO.2,BARE).
IntheSouthIslandSimonSmallofChristchurchbasedWhakarite TheatrewroteHORIZONSin1991underthepennameFrancisSerra.TheHORIZONScast(EroliaIfopo,SimonSmall,MichaelHodgson,MishelleMuagututi’aandOscarKightley)wereinspiredtostarttheirowntheatrecompanyandtheyco-foundedPacific Underground (PU)whichremainsthelongestrunningPacificperformingartsorganisationinNewZealand.FRESHOFFTHEBOATwasOscar’sfirstplayco-writtenbySimonSmallanddirectedbyNathanielLeestocriticalacclaimanditbecamePU’sflagshipproduction.FRESHOFFTHEBOAT
wasadaptedintoanawardwinningradioplayproducedbyRadioNewZealandandhassincebeenpublished.LikeNIUSILA,FRESHOFFTHEBOATisarecommendedtextforDramainNewZealandSchools.
Whilstdiversifyingintoproducingmusicshows,schooltours,CDsandeventsPUalsoproducedfiveotherfulllengthplaysincludingEroliaIfopoandOscarKightley’shugelypopularcomedyROMEOANDTUSIandANGELSbyTanyaMuagututi’aandJoyVaelewhichwaspresentedin2009asaco-productionwithChristchurch’sCourtTheatre.
Humour(disguisingseriouscultural,socialandimmigrationissues)remainsPU’ssignatureflavour,alegacyhandeddownbyOscarKightleyandEroliaIfopothatcanalsobeseeninOscar’sworkwiththeNaked Samoans.
Inthe2000s,PasifikastoriesexpandedontothesmallscreenwithshowssuchashitanimatedcomedyBROTOWN,andReneNaufahu’sTHEMARKET,TV2sFRESHTV(producer,LisaTaouma),andthelatestTVcrimeseriesHARRYco-writtenandstarringOscarKightley.BROTOWNhaditsoriginsasaNakedSamoanstheatreshowandinfeaturefilmsNO.2byToaFraserbeganlifeasasoloshowaboutaMt.RoskillFijianfamilystarringMadeleineSami(SuperCity,Sione’sWedding).
AucklandTheatreCompanyhascommissionedseveralnewPasifikaplays,fromAlbertWendt’sTHESONGMAKER’SCHAIRin2004,throughtoVictorRodger’sMYNAMEISGARYCOOPERin2007andWHEREWEONCEBELONGEDin2008,adaptedforthestagebyNIUSILAco-writerDaveArmstrongfromtheaward-winningSamoannovelbySiaFigel.MostrecentlyAucklandTheatreCompanycommissionedthefamilyshowsPOLY
HOODINMUMULANDbyLaurenJacksonandSINARELLAbyGorettiChadwickandSeanCoyle,whichwerepresentedin2011and2012incollaborationwiththePacificInstituteofPerformingArts(PIPA).
Todaythenumberofartists/playwrightsandcompaniescurrentlycreating,presentingandproducingnewworkgivessomeindicationofthefruitfuldevelopmentofPasifikaTheatreinthelastdecade.Companieslike;Kila Kokonut Krew,NinaNawalowalo(The Conch),DiannaFuemana(BIRDS,FALEMALAMA,MAPAKI),The Laughing Samoans(EteuatiEteandTofigaFepuleai),MiriaGeorge(ANDWHATREMAINS,Tawata Productions),LouiseTu’u(LETAUVAGA:THECOMPETITION),GorettiChadwick(PaniandPani,SINARELLA,GALULOLO-TSUNAMI),FionaCollins(MYPENINA,FRANGIPANIPERFUME)andNaked SamoanIahetoAhHi(TAUTAI,PLANTATION).
ThereisalsoagrowinglistofsolidemergingPasifikatheatre-makers,suchas;performancepoetTusiataAvia(BLOODCLOT),playwrightsSuliMoa(KINGDOMOFLOTE),DavidMamea(GOODBYEMYFELENI),LeilaniUnasa(HERMOTHER’SSON)andArnetteArapai(LOVEHANDLES,TONGANMORRISDANCERS),producerJenniHeka(GOODBYEMYFELENI),AucklandcompaniesThe Blackfriars,Polynesian Laboratory (P-Lab),Tongan Creative Collectives,Phoenix NZ Young Performers,andChristchurchbasedJudah Arts Productions(THECOST)andNo Limits (SPEAKYOURTRUTH).
Today’sPasifikatheatre-makerstournationallyandinternationallysharingourstoriesaroundthecountryandtotheworld.
Circa 1994 by Evotia Tamua,. PU Fresh Off The Boat Cast. Left to Right – Michael Hodgson, Erolia Ifopo, Tanya Muagututi’a, David Fane,
Mishelle Muagututi’a, Oscar Kightley
22 23
PAsifika Plays - BIBLIOGRAPHYPacific Island theatre is going from strength to strength and a range of plays are available. Some may be suitable for use in class exercises.
This selection of contemporary Pacific Island plays includes other works by NIU SILA co-writer, the prolific Oscar Kightley, and you will find other examples via Playmarket.
PLAYMARKET www.playmarket.org.nz is an excellent resource for information about New Zealand playwrights and plays. You can also order scripts online and receive information regarding obtaining performance rights.
Fraser, ToaBare (1998)No.2 (1999)Paradise (2000)
Fuemana, Diana Mapaki (2004) (published)The Packer (2003)Jingle Bells (2001)
Rodger, VictorSons (1995)Cunning Stunts (1997)Ranterstantrum (2002)
Kightley, Oscar Fresh off The Boat (1993) with
Simon SmallA Frigate Bird Sings (1996) with
Dave FaneDawn Raids (1997)Naked Samoans Talk About Their Knives
(1997) with Dave FaneEulogy (1998)Romeo and Tusi (1999)Naked Samoans Go To Hollywood
Urale, MakeritaFrangipani Perfume (2004) (published)
Wendt, AlbertThe Songmaker’s Chair, Huia Publishers,
Wellington, NZ (2004)
24 25
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIESPlaying multiple charactersExplore the one of the challenges facing the actors in NIU SILA –
changing from one character to another in rapid succession and in
one scene of dialogue.
Working in pairs, use the ‘pony-tail scene’ excerpt (opposite) and start
from Peter’s direct address to the audience, “For weeks the whole school
discussed Ioane’s ponytail…” Decide how as two actors you will divide the
five roles on the page between you.
Think about the physical qualities of each character you are playing.
Experiment with gestures, postures and habits.
Explore a distinctive voice for each character.
Visualise the character – do you know someone like this character?
The more fully you imagine the character you are playing, the more
clearly that character will come alive for the audience.
Be aware of where the ‘invisible’ characters are in space as you move
between characters you are playing and as you continue to address
characters that are still there in the scene, although you (or your partner)
are no longer playing them.
Present your scene and listen to the feedback from your audience.
NIU SILA - script excerptPETER (Toaudience)Forweeksthewholeschooldiscussed
Ioane’spony-tail.Nooneknewthereason,though
VeronicaCrombiehadatheory.
VERONICA It’ssimple,hewantstobeagirl.
PETER (Toaudience)StephanieArlingtonagreed.
STEPHANIE Youmightberight,Veronica,becauseIslanderswear
dressesaroundthehouse.
PETER (Toaudience)AndreaTudorhadtherealanswer.
ANDREA It’sreallyhotintheislands,right,sotheygrowtheirhair
reallylong,cos,it’slikeanumbrella.
PETER (Toaudience)ButLorraineCarroll’stheorywasthemost
rapidlyaccepted.
LORRAINE Dummies.Intheislandsthey’rereallypoorandtheycan’t
affordscissors.
PETER Lorraine,youspaz,theyliveinNewZealandnow.
LORRAINE Andtheystillcan’taffordscissorscostheyspendalltheir
moneyattheTABandonbooze.Sothere.
26 27
Writing about `real life´Dave Armstrong has said that he enjoys writing about real life, and the
characters in NIU SILA represent real life characters both he and co-writer
Oscar Kightley encountered as they were growing up.
Write about a moment in your life when something happened that changed
you. You might want to write about this occasion first as a story and then
write it as a scene, or series of scenes.
You might want to explore using a narrator, like Peter in NIU SILA, to move
your story along. The narrator character needn’t be you and it might be
interesting to make the narrator another character from your story, who
might have a different point of view from yourself.
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ABOUT ATC EDUCATIONATC Education promotes and encourages teaching and participation in theatre and acts as a resource for secondary and tertiary educators. It is a comprehensive and innovative education programme designed to nurture young theatre practitioners and future audiences.
ATC Education has direct contact with secondary school students throughout the greater Auckland region with a focus on delivering an exciting and popular programme that supports the Arts education of Auckland students and which focuses on curriculum development, literacy and the Arts.
Auckland Theatre Company acknowledges that the experiences enjoyed by the youth of today are reflected in the vibrancy of theatre in the future.
Additional Reading / ResourcesThere are two published editions of NIU SILA.
1. NIU SILA by Dave Armstrong and Oscar Kightley, Nelson Cengage Learning New Zealand, 2007. The abridged School’s version, rewritten for use in secondary schools and reworked to be performed by large school casts. Includes comprehensive teaching notes - for both drama and English classes.
2. The full play script, published in 2009 in the PLAYMARKET PLAY SERIES with
THE TUTOR, available from Playmarket.
Check these links to Pasifika theatre-makers:
Kila Kokonut Krew https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kila-Kokonut-Krew/92837192322 http://thefactorystory.co.nz/
Pacific Underground https://www.facebook.com/pu.performingarts
Hekama Creative http://www.hekamacreative.co.nz/
Tawata Productions http://tawata.wordpress.com/
P.I.P.A http://www.pipa.ac.nz/
Dianna Fuemana – Niu Way Theatre http://www.playmarket.org.nz/playwrights/dianna-fuemana
The Laughing Samoans http://www.laughingsamoans.com/
CURRICULUM LINKSAll drama students are expected to study NZ Drama at every level, with an emphasis on challenging social and cultural discourses at Level 3.
ATC Education activities relate directly to the PK, UC and CI strands of the NZ Curriculum from levels 5 to 8. They also have direct relevance to many of the NCEA achievement standards at all three levels.
All secondary school Drama students (Years 9 to 13) should be experiencing live theatre as a part of their course work, Understanding the Arts in Context. Curriculum levels 6, 7 and 8 (equivalent to years 11, 12 and 13) require the inclusion of New Zealand drama in their course of work.
The NCEA external examinations at each level (Level 1 – AS90011, Level 2 – AS91219, Level 3 – AS91518) require students to write about live theatre they have seen. Students who are able to experience fully produced, professional theatre are generally advantaged in answering these questions.
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JOIN THE CONVERSATIONPost your own reviews and comments, check out photos of all our productions, watch exclusive interviews with actors and directors, read about what inspires the playwrights we work with and download the programme and education packs.
Places to find out more about ATC and engage with us:
ENGAGE
www.atc.co.nz
@akldtheatreco
facebook.com/TheATC
AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY487 Dominion Road, Mt Eden PO Box 96002, Balmoral, Auckland 1342
Ph: 09 309 0390 Fax: 09 309 0391 Email: [email protected]
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